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Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Technically NO ONE is entitled to Samurdi in 2016

A clear statement was made in today’s
ADA newspaper (page2) by the Secretary of the United Samurdi Officers
Association, Mr Lalith D Priyantha, that if the current rules of entitlement
for Samurdi are observed, NO ONE will be entitled to Samurdi. (The state
welfare payment for poor households)

THEREFORE THE TIME IS RIPE TO REVIEW THE
CRITERIA.

IS NO SECRET that many people who
receive Samurdi are NOT poor, and are not in need, but due to ‘political’
reasons or incorrect interpretations on eligibility receive this state payment
monthly, where as there are many very poor people who do not receive this, in
some cases due to political retribution.

Just like in the tax situation, where
there are MANY Doctors and Lawyers who SHOULD be paying Income Taxes but are
not, as they have avoided it by either being paid in cash, or not filing
returns as they should, the converse is true here too. ManySamurdi recipients
DO NOT inform the authorities of a change in status, where a family member
remits funds monthly from overseas employment, enabling the household to
purchase three wheelers, motor bikes and construct solid and attractive homes,
but still receive the monthly payment.

Samurdi Officers being state employees,
do not wish to ruffle feathers or rock the boat, and are therefore NOT inclined
to cut any benefit of a person who they even see whizz past in a new car! Yet
collect money which could otherwise take a destitute person out of sheer
starvation.

IT IS incumbent upon the Govt. to take
steps immediately to review ALL who receive welfare. Legislate new rules and
maximum earnings limits and determine under the new conditions of poverty and
household income, who really are entitled to this benefit. There is a well
entrenched state apparatus in place. There is NO new staffing that is required,
just pass these requirements to the thousands of Samurdi officers who are now
in the system, to administer Samurdi to people who are not entitled to
anything.

What a waste of State Resources both on
the staff, that already costs billions, and on making payments to those who are
using the system, and abusing it, and getting away with it as the Officials are
not willing to even re –evaluate entitlements based on even the existing
criteria.

When it comes to review it is imperative
to review all State Payments, to ensure if people who are receive payments are
in fact alive, and living in Sri Lanka! Some recipients don’t even live in Sri
Lanka, but are overseas! Time to change!